MADRID: Real Madrid bounced back from their painful derby loss with a 2-0 home win over lowly Las Palmas on Wednesday to overtake Barcelona and move second, but Catalan minnows Girona are the surprise La Liga leaders after after a 2-1 win at Villarreal.

Real produced a comfortable victory with goals from Brahim Diaz and Joselu, while Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior also made his return from injury as a second half substitute, following a month out.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti made five changes to the starting side outclassed by Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Sunday, resting La Liga’s top scorer Jude Bellingham and giving new recruit Diaz his first start of the season.

The hosts were by far superior side but squandered more than a dozen clearcut chances before Diaz broke the deadlock with a close-range strike deep into first-half stoppage time, taking a touch to control substitute Lucas Vazquez’s cross and then firing into the top corner with the aid of a slight deflection.

Joselu extended Real’s lead in the 54th minute, nodding a lobbed cross from Rodrygo into the net and the hosts comfortably closed out victory.

Real moved up to second place on 18 points, leapfrogging third-placed Barca who were held to a 2-2 draw by Mallorca on Tuesday.

Girona are the surprise leaders on 19 points after they fought back to win at Villarreal with on-loan Barca defender Eric Garcia netting the winner.

Dani Parejo sent Pacheta’s struggling Villarreal ahead from the penalty spot, before Ukrainian striker Artem Dovbyk levelled for Girona and Garcia headed home after an hour.

Athletic Bilbao, fourth, were left frustrated after a 2-2 draw with Getafe.

Carlos Fernandez’s goal earned Real Sociedad a 1-0 win at Valencia, allowing the Basque team to rise to fifth, while Rayo Vallecano are sixth after a 0-0 draw at Cadiz.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2023